Sustainable Regulation of the Water Industry

The UK Water Industry has benefited from high levels of investment in recent decades which has lead to significant improvements in water quality. There is a well-established and 'firm' regulatory framework based on financial analysis, review and questioning. Under the current regulatory process however, sustainability has been relatively ignored. For example, the regulatory process is price-driven and the price of water is low compared to the full resource cost, there has been little support of more resource efficient techniques for water treatment, a paucity of research into innovative solutions, and a break down in public education and knowledge in water issues.

Objectives:

* Consider and discuss the main issues around water sector financial regulation and sustainability

* To provide a platform for a wide range of stakeholders to share their views

* To collect views for a Scoping Report for delegates that supports CIWEM's work stream on sustainable regulation of the UK water industry

* To enable and facilitate networking and debate

People:

Colin Fenn, Chair - CIWEM Water Resources Panel; Mike Pocock, Head of Strategic Planning - Veolia Water; Trevor Bishop, Head of Water Resources - Environment Agency; Chris Barker, EMEA Business Manager - MWH.